American Trust

Stephanie wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat on the railing overlooking the gorgeous view of the outskirts of Wrestleworld Capital. Eden was a dream come true, a wonderland getaway for those who preferred to live in the high-tech lap of luxury. This was The War Queen’s prize for being this island’s American Dream Champion. These days, life came easy for her, something that wasn’t the case a mere five-six years ago. Even when Manami “sold” her Joshi Extreme Takeover, she had to use her wit and what celebrity she had to convince sponsors to invest in a joshi puroresu brand that was recovering from a scandal that saw her on the receiving end of an attempted stabbing. The scenario of events that happened afterward replayed inside Cloud’s mind from Miss Manami stepping down as Chairwoman to Matsuda losing the JET World Championship. What followed was a contract signing with the Land of Elite and now here she was, on a mysterious island as her wife slept soundly in their bedroom. While this wasn’t their primary residence, it made her Brooklyn apartment look like a hole in the wall. But regardless, home was home. Matsuda was a month past her first defense, a successful campaign against Jay Jones and Drago Santiago. Now, the co-founder of World’s Finest had more pressing matters to attend to. Her stable was falling apart and for some reason, the man formerly known as Layne Kurobane claimed to have a way of setting things back on track. Matsuda wasn’t stupid - she could smell a coup from a mile away, but the others were interested in the reborn Layne Driver’s proposal. As much as she wanted to reach out to Nobi and the others to check on their well-being, Stephanie had a string of interviews and guest appearances that was eating up her time. There was talk about where she would place on the 2020 Pro Wrestling Journal 100. Many had her pegged for the top 5, while some others even hinted at first place. In a few weeks, the world will find out how Stephanie ranks amongst the greats in the industry. For now, she was satisfied with the direction of her career.

Stephanie walked back to the bedroom, where she saw Monica sleeping soundly. She knew her wife was eager to start a family in the next few years. They haven’t thought about when they would have children, but Monica wouldn’t want Cloud to be on the road as much as she was now. Maybe Manami-sensei was right. Maybe there were some things more important than victory. There was life after wrestling, but it was up to Stephanie to decide the end of her own story. For now, all she could do was keep fighting until it was time to unlace her boots. She was at the peak of her ability. She had to keep going, especially with the likes of Maverick making his move. Then there was the briefcase…

Stephanie picked up her phone and made her way to the living room. When things were renting this much space in her head, she felt it was necessary to direct her thoughts to the general public before a match. Maybe some clarity could be found in voicing her thoughts.


“Book Two has been a weird couple of months, thus far. It really does feel like we’re picking up the pieces of several legacies that ended at the hands of people like Colt Montoya and myself. Recently, we’ve witnessed Maverick becoming a free man and the return of Sweet Roxy, who’s now allied with her brother Ares. Then there’s the Kurobane/Driver situation that some say will either destroy or restore World’s Finest. We’re not a dictatorship, so everyone was allowed to voice their concerns, and from where I stand everything seems to be quite a jumbled mess. But, nobody said it was going to be easy. Now I find myself in an uneasy alliance with Layne against two people I have a bit of history with. First, there’s Sweet Roxy who’s been on the receiving end of my pins and submissions twice in a lifetime. I have nothing against the girl - her presence in LAW is fattening the wallets of my side money. But, just like in PWN and in OWA she will fall to my sword. Vendettas have a history of getting their ass whopped by me, so this time this won’t be any different. Speaking of which, we have Ares Vendetta who always seems to have some kind of hidden motive. A son who dedicated his life to surpassing his father, you’ve excelled in every way possible. Now, you seek to end things with Lannister by using Layne and me as an example of your dominance. Well, that’s quite the tall order buckaroo. I’m not easy prey to capture, nor is the man who’s no stranger to OWA gold. While we have less in common with each other than you and your sibling, I doubt that Layne likes the idea of laying down for a family feud. You don’t like Robbie? Hey, join the club! Most of Wrestleworld don’t like his ass! The only thing he and I have ever agreed on is how good the Kansas City Chiefs are, and that’s it! Other than that, everything goes in one ear and out the other.”


“Now, I have to ask myself: do I trust you, Layne? We barely interacted with each other in OWA, but from what I’ve seen you seemed like a stand-up guy. Hell, Tarah told me she respected you as a competitor. But, that was then and this is now. You and I don’t know each other, and I should feel a certain way for the way you came at me out there on Chapter 22, but for now, I’ll put that to the side. Consider this to be your tryout match, Layne. This will decide whether or not you get to be in World’s Finest. But regardless of how you feel about my stable and how we do things, just know and understand this. There’s only one of us holding the American Dream Championship. If you can respect that, then maybe you have a future with us after.”